A GLOBAL STORY
We are all part of gin’s collective history
Do you remember your first real gin and tonic? I don’t necessarily mean the first chronologically (for most of us, like our first kiss, it’s probably not the auspicious occasion we would like it to have been). No, I mean the first gin and tonic that made you say, “Wow – this is good.”
Mine was on the rooftop terrace of a pub near Clapham Common, south London, on a warm, sunny afternoon in June 2015. The friend I was there with – the one who had introduced me to gin in the first place, in our halcyon days at university – took one look at the back bar and ordered us Portobello Road gin and tonics. I remember my naïve surprise at the wedge of pink grapefruit in the glass, and my friend explaining, with a conspiratorial smile, that this was the gin’s recommended garnish. I remember the first delicious sip, how perfect it felt for that particular time and place, and thinking I could happily stay for another (we did – and then for another after that).
I hope that most, if not all, of you reading this have had a similar experience with a gin; perhaps you could revisit that memory soon in a quiet moment, with a glass of the starring gin in hand.
For a spirit with as long and storied a history as gin, it is humbling to think of all the individual connections that it has to people around the world: the vast web of tastings, gifted bottles, exquisite bar cocktails, homemade drinks, professional and amateur distillations, foraged botanicals and more that have coalesced to make up the ‘world of gin’ as it is today. It is a product with global reach, but carries different connotations and memories for every one of the millions of people who have drunk it. Call me sentimental, but I think that’s pretty spectacular.
It is not only individual people but individual countries that have their own history and relationship with gin. We can now count a staggering number of countries as gin-producing nations, from Kenya to Korea and Australia to Argentina. And the countries that consume the most gin may surprise you: for much of the last decade, it has been the Philippines, with India also appearing among the topconsuming nations alongside the UK, United States and Spain.
Few countries boast the lengthy histories with juniper-based spirits that the UK and the Netherlands do (you can read more about both in this issue), but the younger kids on the block bring elements that are just as vital as heritage: the fresh perspectives, ingredients and innovations without which the industry would have had no chance of reaching the heights that it has.
Every step in the centuries-long evolution of gin has required someone to ask, “What if?” – and to do whatever it was they were contemplating anyway. We who love and respect gin should prostrate ourselves at the feet of these pioneers and thank them for their bravery (or foolhardiness… it’s a fine line, I suppose).
In this issue, we shall bestow the highest honours we can on the industry’s best and brightest with our Gin Magazine Awards. They comprise: the World Gin Awards, which recognise excellent products across 11 style categories; the Icons of Gin, which commemorate the industry’s best people and places; and the Gin Magazine Hall of Fame, which inducts individuals who have dedicated their professional lives to gin and left an indelible mark on it as a result. Turn to page 79 for the full results from the 2022 competitions.
Every step in the centuries-long evolution of gin has required someone to ask, “What if?”
I have already covered the importance of progression in this column, which brings me to some exciting news from our own house: Gin Magazine is increasing in frequency from four to six issues a year in 2022! That means more exciting focuses on your favourite brands, more articles about innovative and historical gin-making techniques, more interviews with top distillers, and more tastings of new and exciting spirits. With the gin world moving into ever more thrilling territory, we are proud and privileged to be able to explore even more of it.